Clinical, biochemical and echocardiographical characteristics of women and men grouped according to aortic valve calcification (AVC) severity at baseline
| Women (N=664) | Men (N=1061) | |||
| None/mild AVC(n=247) | Moderate/severe AVC(n=417) | None/mild AVC(n=322) | Moderate/severe AVC(n=739) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 68.2±9.4* | 69.9±9.3*† | 65.3±9.8 | 66.6±9.5† |
| Body mass index (kg/m²) | 27.5±5.4 | 26.5±5.1† | 27.1±3.6 | 26.8±3.9 |
| Hypertension | 89%‡ | 88%‡ | 79% | 81% |
| Antihypertensive treatment (%) | ||||
| Calcium antagonists | 36 | 31 | 36 | 32 |
| ACE inhibitors | 32 | 27 | 35 | 32 |
| Angiotensin receptor blockers | 21 | 21 | 19 | 18 |
| Diuretics | 52§ | 52 | 35 | 46 |
| Beta-blockers | 43 | 42 | 37 | 39 |
| No of antihypertensive agents | 1.4§ | 1.3§ | 1.1 | 1.2 |
| Systolic blood pressure (mm Hg) | 150±20‡ | 151±21* | 145±19 | 143±19 |
| Diastolic blood pressure (mm Hg) | 81±10 | 82±10 | 82±10 | 82±10 |
| Heart rate (beats/min) | 69±11* | 68±11* | 65±12 | 64±11 |
| Total cholesterol (mmol/L) | 6.0±1.0* | 6.0±1.1* | 5.6±0.9 | 5.5±1.0 |
| LDL cholesterol (mmol/L) | 3.7±0.9 | 3.7±1.0* | 3.6±0.8 | 3.5±0.9 |
| Creatine (µmol/L) | 84±13* | 85±14* | 98±14 | 99±15 |
| hs-CRP (mg/dL) | 0.26 (0.10–0.49) | 0.24 (0.10–0.48) | 0.18 (0.08–0.31) | 0.20 (0.08–0.44)§ |
| Peak aortic jet velocity (m/s) | 2.64±0.34 | 3.33±0.46† | 2.62±0.36 | 3.32±0.49† |
| Mean transvalvular gradient (mm Hg) | 16±4 | 27±8† | 16±5 | 26±9† |
| Aortic valve area (cm²) | 1.28±0.38* | 1.02±0.32*¶ | 1.64±0.55 | 1.27±0.43† |
| Aortic valve area index (cm²/m²) | 0.72±0.21* | 0.59±0.19** | 0.82±0.28 | 0.64±0.21† |
| Energy loss index (cm²/m²) | 1.06±0.54 | 0.77±0.33‡¶ | 1.13±0.57 | 0.83±0.42† |
| Ejection fraction (%) | 67±6 | 66±7 | 67±7 | 66±7† |
| scMWS (%) | 102±19§ | 99±20†‡ | 98±19 | 94±19** |
| LV mass index (g/m2.7) | 41.9±12.4‡ | 44.2±14.0§* | 45.3±15.7 | 47.9±14.7† |
| Stroke volume/pulse pressure (mL/mm Hg) | 3.25±1.51* | 3.07±1.34* | 4.54±2.17 | 4.21±2.00† |
| Mitral regurgitation | 64% | 70%* | 55% | 54% |
| Aortic regurgitation | 65%‡ | 72%‡ | 82% | 84% |
*p<0.001, **p<0.01, †p<0.05 between groups with none/mild versus moderate/severe AVC within same sex, ‡p<0.01, §p<0.05 between sexes, ¶p<0.001 .
hs-CRP, high-sensitive C reactive protein; LDL, low-density lipid; LV, left ventricular; scMWS, stress-corrected midwall shortening.